Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by Kaneko Aikawa
Summary: After a horrific encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku vowed to never trust men again. At the same time, Hisagi Shuheii wants to do anything he can to win her heart and protect her. How can he earn her trust? HisaMatsu. Warning: angsty!


**Every Rose has Its Thorn**

This is a little side project that will accompany Inherited Nightmares for now. I had been thinking about this one-shot story for a while and I decided to write it now. Please note that this is not a songfic and it's not based on the song of the same name by Poison (even though that's a very good song), but it is based on a couple lines.

It's a dark fanfic that features one of my favourite couples, Hisagi x Matsumoto, and I have to warn you that this chapter is incredibly dark since she meets up with her psycho ex, Gin. However, it becomes better from there. Here's a brief outlook of the story:

**Pairing: **HisaMatsu

**Rating: **Rated M for heavy sex themes, rape, swearing, and violence

**AU? **Yes

**Genre: **Angst/Romance

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

_Though it's been a while now  
I can still feel so much pain  
Like a knife that cuts you the wound heals  
but the scar, that scar will remain_

"_Every Rose has Its Thorn" - __**Poison

* * *

**_

Matsumoto Rangiku sighed as she stepped out of the building door. She had a tiring day at the office, working in finance. As much as she liked her job, she asked for nothing more than to relax in her nice hot bath and read one of her favourite romance novels.

She knelt and took off her mahogany heels, exchanging them for a pair of white runners that neatly rested in a plastic bag that she carried with her along with her matching purse.

Even though she didn't live too far from the office building – about four or five blocks at least – she knew that she had to walk quickly since it was getting dark. There were creeps that usually lurked around at night in the small town of Rukongai. Even though she was a strong woman that always took care of herself, she did not like to deal with those bastards that usually preyed on young, attractive woman like her.

She tightened the lace on her second shoe, put the heels inside her bag, flung her purse over her shoulder and quickly strode away from the building – her golden, wavy locks bounced lightly against her neck with every step.

Every time she went on walks like these, they were always an excuse for her mind to wander. She usually thought about what she did that day and what she was planning to do to relax and the following day. The world around her seemed as if it had disappeared and nothing else mattered – not but her and her thoughts. As the breeze drifted past her face, she was content and happy.

She was about halfway home when footsteps snapped her back to reality. Suspicious that she was being followed, she averted her eyes behind her and quickened her pace, but the footsteps repeated her strides. She broke into a light jog, and the footsteps did the same. Growling with frustration, she broke into a full-out run, hoping to lose the intruder that dared to follow her. She prayed that she would not be a victim tonight as she continued running.

She continued running for what seemed to be forever until she arrived at a dead end, blocked by a chain-link fence between two towering buildings. Clenching her hands into fists and her teeth in a slight growl, she slowly turned around, eager to face her stalker who had stopped when she had stopped.

Her brows furrowed when she met the man whom she least likely wanted to reunite with: Gin Ichimaru, smiling his sick, malicious smile and peering at her through snake-like slits that made up his eyes.

Gin and she were lovers for a time, but that was several months ago. Their relationship ended when he started getting weird and distant on her and she had no choice but to leave him behind to start a new life. She was getting along fine until _he_ had to appear before her again.

"What do you want, Gin?" Matsumoto snapped, adrenaline rushing through her veins as she prepared to fight him off just in case anything happened.

"Why haven't ya called me, Rangiku?" Gin slurred. He sounded drunk – very, very drunk.

"You know why," she replied bitterly. "I left you for a good reason and that is all you need to know. Now leave me alone."

Gin chuckled as he slowly stepped towards her, making her step back. "My dear, dear, Rangiku. Ya know I can't leave my baby girl alone. Whatever I did, that was a while ago. Come on, baby."

Matsumoto's fists tightened even harder until the skin grew white. "_Don't_ call me that! And _don't_ make me laugh when you said that you couldn't leave me alone! _You_ were always gone! You never called and you were always gone all night without saying a single word to me! And don't get me started on how you acted when you were high! The humiliation? The "kinky" shit that you _know_ I hated! You never did listen to a single word that I said when I told you that I didn't want to do that anymore! But you insisted! It makes me sick every time I think about it." She grimaced at the memories.

"Aww, c'mon baby," Gin slurred, "lighten up a li'l. I was just havin' a li'l fun."

"You didn't respect me _or_ my decisions!" Matsumoto shot back. "You didn't _care_ what I thought! You used to be romantic until you started to be a sick freak like you are right now!"

Before she knew it, her back was touching the fence and Gin used that opportunity to strike. He ran up to her, grabbed her by the throat, pinned her against the fence, and brought his lips to her ear. "Yer bein' a bad girl," he whispered, causing her to flinch under the stench of his alcohol breath. "Ya have to understand that _I_ have urges, I have needs." He licked her jaw line tenderly, causing her eyes to widen in fear. "Ya _know_ ya can't resist me," he continued to whisper.

Matsumoto could not speak. She tried to struggle under her ex-boyfriend's grip but he held her down tightly.

"Whaddaya say we...have a li'l fun?" Gin said darkly. He struck her across the face, knocking her down with full force. Matsumoto was stunned for a moment as she tried to get up, but before she could, Gin pinned her down again.

She tried to fight him off, screaming and cursing and pushing him but he held her down with a chuckle.

"Ya know I love it when yer so helpless," Gin said as he took a hold of her cardigan and ripped it off her. He held her arms above her head and tied them together with the item of clothing, fastening them against the metal wire-like surface on the fence.

Matsumoto continued to try to fight off her ex, but he ripped off her blouse and then tore it half. He used one half to tie her legs together and the other half over her mouth as a gag. Then he ripped off her bra and skirt and threw them to the side.

Tears falling from her eyes, Matsumoto silently prayed that this nightmare would end, that she would wake up if this was a dream. Unfortunately for her, it was not.

She watched as Gin pulled down her panties to expose her almost fully. His smile widened evilly as he took in his helpless ex-girlfriend's naked figure, licking his lips intently. "I'm gonna enjoy this," he said as he undid his belt and pulled down his pants, revealing his erection. "Now, sit back 'n enjoy the show."

After adjusting her bound legs and positioning himself in the appropriate place, Gin slammed himself into her at full force, enjoying her painful shrieks and cries as though they were music to his ears. He knew he had to listen to more so he repeated his vile actions again and again, quickening his pace with every thrust. He raised her legs and thrust into her deeper, moaning every time.

Trickles of blood poured from her torn walls as she screamed in agony. _Oh god! Please! Make this stop! Please! Please stop this painful torture! Make him go away, please!_

With full force, Gin slammed into her hard, unleashing his seed inside her and panting with pleasure. Slowly and carefully, he pulled himself out of Matsumoto's vagina, pulled up his boxers and pants, and did up his fly and belt. He took one look at his ex-girlfriend lying there barely conscious, tears dripping from her eyes.

At that moment, rain started to fall on every surface of her broken body, making it glisten with every drop that splashed onto the surface.

Gin chuckled maliciously. "You were such a nice object to use for my pleasure, Rangiku. It's too bad that things had to end this way. You may or may not survive the rest of the night, but if you do, then I'll be waiting for some more." He spat on her face and kicked her side violently, causing her ribs on that side to break. Then he turned to stagger away, leaving her alone in the cold rain.

* * *

The next morning, a young man was taking his German shepherd for a brisk walk when the dog started to bark. "What is it, boy?" Hisagi Shuheii asked while peering to see what his dog was barking at.

The dog started to pull towards the alley, whimpering excitedly. "Alright, alright, Komamura," Hisagi said, "I'll come with you."

They rushed further towards the alley, only to spot Matsumoto lying there unconscious. She was almost naked and her hands and feet were bound with several pieces of cloth. Hisagi guessed that these were once her clothes. Another piece of cloth was wrapped around her mouth, between her lips, as a gag.

Hisagi was in shock by the sight and Komamura cautiously walked towards the body to give it a little sniff. Praying that she was alive, Hisagi knelt beside the body and pressed two fingers next to her throat. Luckily enough, there was a pulse but it was faint, and her skin was cold to the touch. Hisagi guessed that she was probably left outside in the rain after whoever it was did such a vile act towards her.

He carefully untied the cardigan from the fence and her wrists and then untied both halves of the blouse. Then he carefully pulled up her panties and skirt and used his jacket to cover up her chest. Carefully slipping his hands underneath, he managed to lift the body from the ground.

He was about to turn to walk away when he noticed the plastic bag and purse lying next to her. "These must be her belongings," he whispered to himself as he managed to pick up the objects, surprised that whoever defiled her like this did not tamper with her purse.

"Let's go, Komamura," Hisagi said and the dog eagerly obeyed his master, following him towards his apartment half a block away.

Shuheii Hisagi was a simple man. He lived in a small apartment and had a job working as a cashier in the local market. It was not much, but at least it paid his rent and helped maintain his five-year-old German shepherd with food and accessories. He never once thought about finding a girlfriend, nor has he had a true relationship in his life. He figured that when he would be ready he would start looking.

This woman in particular that he was rescuing was so beautiful that she was some sort of fallen angel. Hisagi silently cursed whoever it was that raped her, and he hoped that this man would never cross paths with him. He was not the type of guy who would usually go into fights, but if he was provoked to doing so, he would do it, no doubt. He was also determined to do whatever he could to help this poor young woman, to give her some space if she needed it, and if she was ready to love again, he would be right there with her.

He managed to take out his key the moment he arrived in front of the main apartment door and dug the jagged edge into the lock, twisting it counter-clockwise. He slipped through the door, allowing Komamura to run up the stairs ahead of him, and quietly and slowly walked up the stairs to his room.

After digging his key into his apartment door and clicking open the lock, he slipped into the hallway, quietly closed the door behind him, and dropped Matsumoto's things by the front door. Komamura followed his master's movements as he carefully placed Matsumoto on top of the bed.

Taking one more glance at her, Hisagi walked over to his closet and picked out a sweatshirt that he could use to cover her up for the time being. He carefully slipped the heavy piece of cloth over her breasts, trying not to stare at her chest. It would be completely uncouth of him to do such a thing, after what she had been through. In fact, every time he glanced at her, a light blush would tint his cheeks.

He completely covered the unconscious body up to the base of her neck and walked into his kitchen to prepare some tea for when she woke up.

Setting the kettle to boil, he wondered how she would react to being in a stranger's house. Hisagi was sure that she would be frightened and run off, and he promised himself that if that would be the case, he would let her run off. He did not care about that sweatshirt anyway, and as long as she would be fine and warm enough, that was all that mattered.

A couple hours went by and Matsumoto slowly opened her eyes to greet the rays of sun pouring in through the window with a groan. She was in so much pain and her body constantly shook from trauma.

For a moment, she could not remember what happened last night – what made her body feel so much pain at that moment – until the memory became clear. The horrific memory of Gin overpowering her and...raping her.

_Rape. _The word sent cold chills down her spine. She had hoped that she would not be one of those victims that were preyed upon for such evil purposes, but her prayers were not answered when she encountered her ex-boyfriend.

How could he do this? She was getting along fine. She had a wonderful job, she had an excellent social life, she had everything that she could ask for...but..._but_! _He_ just had to come along and, what was worse, he fucking _raped_ her!

Matsumoto tucked her legs next to her chest and sobbed into her knees. Her sobs turned into anguished cries. Her body continued to rack with the horrible pain that succumbed to her; her body continued its merciless, traumatic shaking. She could not _believe_ that that..._psychotic sick freak_ had ruined her life...had turned her against all men!

That was right. She had no faith whatsoever in men anymore. They were all sick freaks that would eventually use her for their own gains.

In fact, every time she would walk along the streets, so many men would gawk at her chest and whistle flirtatiously at her. It annoyed her to no end, and now, now because the worst and most terrible nightmare she could ever encounter had come to haunt her, thanks to the night before.

She was broken, and the social Matsumoto who would always flirt with the men in her life was gone for good. No men should come for her, and she would never let them. Her trust was broken completely.

A soft knock broke her out of her thoughts, and her head snapped up. Wait a minute...who could be knocking at her door? And this isn't her room? Where was she?

"C-c-come in," she found herself stammering. Damn voice of hers! She wiped off the tears that flowed like rivers from her eyes with a sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing. Shock enveloped her for a second as she noticed the large, black sweatshirt covering her chest. _What the fuck? Am I in a _man's _apartment? Oh fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

The door to the bedroom opened and Hisagi came in, lightly shoving Komamura aside with a foot. There was a shy smile on his face as he carried a tray with two mugs of steaming tea that he brewed for them both. Fear froze the blood in Matsumoto's veins as she stared at the man before her.

Hisagi frowned as he saw her expected look of fright. _Damn, she's scared, _he thought to himself. _I have to do something to calm her down. Come on, Hisagi, don't mess this up!_

"U-um, I have something warm for you," he said, his shy smile returning. He set down the tray. Matsumoto did not move from her spot. Hisagi took a deep breath and continued to speak. "In case you were wondering...I found you and I knew I had to help you."

A few stray tears slipped from Matsumoto's frightened face. She was not sure what she should do. This man might just be pretending to be nice so that he could have his way with her later. In fact, he could probably have put a date rape drug in one of those mugs of tea. Something had to be done.

Hisagi slowly sat down on the chair close to his bed, watching her in concern. Komamura wagged his tail happily outside the room, panting and grinning at the woman in front of him.

Matsumoto immediately swung her shaking legs off the bed and stood up. Hisagi stood up at the same time. "Miss," he tried to calm her down, "Miss! You must build up your strength..."

"G-get out of my way!" Matsumoto shoved the man to the side and ran to the front door where she saw her shoes and purse, snatching them up before bolting out of the door.

Hisagi tried to follow her and calm her down but to no avail.

Then he remembered his promise. He could go after her to make sure she would be alright, but then she would fight him off and scream until all hell breaks loose. He could not do that. He had to give her some space, but he also knew that he would be more than willing to fight for her every chance he would get.

* * *

Matsumoto barely made it to her house when she scrambled through her door and shut it quickly, catching her rapid and hard breathing. She quickly looked out her window to make sure she was not being followed and breathed in relief when she found out the coast was clear. Her body was shaking continuously and more tears were flowing from her eyes.

A storm of thoughts of the past events whirled around in her head. Why was she at that man's house? Why was he being so nice to her? Did he rescue her or something?

She did not want to believe it because the event of what happened the night before had clouded her judgement. She had never felt so insecure about anything like this before; she had never felt so broken, so humiliated. She did not know what to think. The horror of being victimized and raped was incredibly overwhelming. It left nothing but paranoia and fear of being used in such a vile way once again; scars that would never heal.

What really got under her skin was that she was wearing a man's sweatshirt. He must have given this to her to cover up her chest, but she just still could not comprehend the reason why.

Her phone rang from her kitchen counter, snapping her from her thoughts. However, she could not bring herself to answer it. The shaking of her body was weighing her down like lead and she feared that it could be that man or...Gin. She hugged her knees closer to her chest and tried to calm down her rapid breathing as she waited for the phone rings to subside.

They eventually stopped and Matsumoto sighed again.

Slowly, she got up from the floor, using her front door as a support to help her up. Then she crept slowly towards the phone, wondering who could have phoned her. She could also have some other unanswered messages on her voicemail as well.

True to her word, a light was beeping on the machine her phone was resting on. She grabbed the phone and went through the procedures to get to her voicemail box. There were a couple of messages. This was the first:

_Hi miss, my name is Hisagi Shuheii. I was the guy who rescued you from the alleyway. I understand that you would be afraid, but please hear me out. I hope you don't mind but I got your number from your business card in your purse, so that I can call you just in case if you fled from my apartment in fright. I'm worried about you, and I hope that you made it home in time. You don't have to call me back, but if you feel the need to, my number is 215-555-351-5368. I'll always be there to listen, and if you need all the space you can get, I'd be happy to oblige. Take care, miss._

A beep followed to end the message.

Matsumoto reflected on what she heard, echoing the message in her mind. He was worried for her and he actually rescued her? She wanted to believe that, but she needed time to figure things out.

She pressed the 2 button to hear the second message:

_Matsumoto, where are you? You've got work today, you know that? It's...11:45 a.m. and you haven't showed up! Give me a call at your earliest convenience or I will take further consequences to your actions! This isn't like you at all! Good day!_

Another beep sounded to signal the message's end.

Matsumoto sighed. Her boss, Hitsugaya Toshirou, was a real pain in the ass sometimes, but she could never admit it. After all, he was younger than she was and was a complete genius. But he was cold-hearted and too uptight about his work. Matsumoto wanted nothing more than for him to go out and relax a little, but she knew that if she said that in front of his face she would receive an icy glare.

She sighed again as she dialled her boss's office number and checked the time – 1:30 p.m. He should be in his office by now.

After a couple rings, Hitsugaya answered the phone. "Hitsugaya Toshirou."

"Hi tenshou," Matsumoto trailed off, fearing the worst about her job.

Hitsugaya's eyebrows furrowed at the voice. "Matsumoto... Where the _hell_ are you? And where have you been?"

Matsumoto sighed once again as she tried to collect her words. What is she going to say? That was she raped and left in the alleyway near her house by a drunk ex boyfriend of hers, and then woke up in a stranger's apartment? Would her boss buy any of it?

"Th-things happened..." She blurted out as she sat down at a nearest chair. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and her breathing continued to be shallow.

"You okay?" Her boss sounded slightly concerned. Maybe there was a bit of warmth within his cold and tough exterior, but he never really showed it.

"I guess..." Matsumoto trailed off. "Just not feeling well."

It was Hitsugaya's turn to sigh. "I can hear in your voice that something did happen, but if you don't want to tell me that is up to you. Look, take a break for now and then let me know if you would like to return."

Matsumoto smiled sadly. Maybe a break is what she needs to recollect herself. "Thanks, Tenshou. Talk to you later."

"Yea, later." A click was heard on the other end.

Matsumoto pressed the button on her cordless phone and stared into space. More than once she was thinking about that message that guy, Hisagi Shuheii, had left on her voice mail and about how he managed to nurse her back to health. Maybe he did the right thing after all. However, she was not 100% sure if she would trust him yet. Until then, she would pull herself back together and recover.

Until then, something had to be done. She turned on her phone once again and dialled another number.

After a couple of rings, she heard a receptionist greet her on the other end.

"Yes, I would like to report a rape."

* * *

A month and a half had passed and Matsumoto's slow recovery had been gradually progressing, but she was not ready to go back to work and start her life anew.

Ever since her call to the police, she had heard nothing yet about Gin's capture, but she was assured that they were looking long and hard for him and as soon as he would be captured, she would be the first to know. This gave her a slight bit of hope, and she knew that no matter what, the authorities would catch the culprit that raped her.

Her friends, local and out of town, had been supporting her throughout the past month and a half. Hinamori Momo, her best friend and co-worker, had often brought over groceries – because she knew her friend was not confident enough to go outside - and checked up on her to see if everything was alright. They would also talk about what had been going on at work and other topics that had been brought up.

They even talked about Hisagi Shuheii, who had worked at the grocery store. Hinamori assured her friend that Hisagi is so friendly and helpful, always making sure his customers found what they needed. "If I were you," she would say, "I would talk to him and give him a chance. He's so sweet and incredibly hot! From what I had gathered from him, he is soooo much better than that bastard Gin. He really is a guy who can take care of you."

Rukia Kuchiki - another best friend who resided in Karakura with her boyfriend, Ichigo Kurosaki - had called two or three times a week to check up on her. When Matsumoto brought up Hisagi, Rukia suggested that she would do what she could to thank him when she's ready. After all, if it weren't for him, she would not be alive right now. Matsumoto understood what her friend was saying and had told her that she would take her up on that.

Matsumoto had been close with Ichigo as well, who had been studying at a medical school in Karakura to take over his father's clinic when the time comes. Ichigo had been really helpful, giving her medical advice for her situation. Matsumoto was slightly jealous of her friend for having such a wonderful boyfriend who always protected her and loved her every day of her life.

Today, she was confident enough to go outside, even though it was at dusk. At least it was around her block and close to her home.

She adjusted her coat and smiled as she felt the breeze brushing against her face and hair with every step she took. Even though she was scared to step outside her house, she missed the outside world, where she felt free and happy. Being cooped inside her own house made her slightly depressed.

It did not seem long into her walk that she walked into the last person whom she would want see again. She froze in fear as she glared at the smirking, silver-haired man in front of her. "Hello...Rangiku," Gin sneered as he eyed her as though she were his prey.

"G-Gin," She stammered, unable to find the words to say. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I was waitin' to see ya again..." Gin said darkly.

His voice made Matsumoto's blood run cold. It sounded as though he was ready to kill her at the soonest possible moment. She wanted to run away, but she could not get her legs to obey. Her breaths staggered. She prayed that her legs would move as Gin edged closer towards her, snickering evilly.

"I didn't like how you called the cops on me," Gin accused. "Maybe I should teach ya a little lesson." He took a long sniff. "I can smell your fear. This is just perfect."

He grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her towards the bushes. She found the strength to scream at the top of her lungs and fight her attacker off, but he kept pulling her into the hidden area, ready to have his way with her once again.

That was until a voice stopped Gin in his tracks. "You know what? I really hate bastards like you who go after helpless women. Let her go or else."

Matsumoto looked up from her struggle, only to look into the eyes of a very handsome and very familiar man. He had spiky black hair that fell in pieces over his glaring eyes, and the number 69 was tattooed on the right side of his cheek. There was another tattoo on the other cheek in the form of a slightly curved line. It was Hisagi Shuheii.

Gin chuckled as he turned to fully face the intruder. "Or else what? You'll fight me?" He laughed loudly. Matsumoto shuddered at the insanity of the laugh. "Don't make me laugh! I'm sure I can beat ya to an inch of yer life with one hand tied behind my back."

"Don't get cocky," Hisagi said as he got into a fighting stance. "I'm warning you. Leave her alone or face me."

Gin violently pushed Matsumoto to the sighed, and she landed on the cement with a shrill gasp. Then he got into a fighting stance as well. "Very well then," Gin said with a dark smirk, "this'll be interestin'."

They ran towards each other and collided in the centre, throwing punches and kicks and dodging each other's movements.

Matsumoto was impressed by how fast they were going. She knew that Gin was a pretty strong fighter, but she was impressed by how easily and swiftly Hisagi blocked and dodged his opponent's movements. She hoped that this guy would win so that she would offer her thanks in whatever way she could.

Then, a strong feeling arose within her. Even though she barely knew Hisagi, she knew that her friend was right about him. She felt like this guy was the one whom she could trust the most and give her heart to.

Another thought hit her as well. Since Gin was right there, she knew that she would do her part in putting him away for good. She took out her cell phone and dialled 9-1-1, not keeping her eyes off the fight.

Speaking of the fight, Gin sent a hook punch towards Hisagi, who dodged and countered with a sweeping kick to get his opponent off balance. However, Gin jumped out of the way.

Hisagi tried to punch his opponent's jaw, but Gin blocked the attack with his forearm. Then Hisagi sent a side kick towards his opponent's stomach and made a lucky hit, sending his opponent backwards. He executed an uppercut punch, which connected with Gin's jaw, throwing him on his back.

Gin chuckled as he wiped a trickle of blood from his chin. "Yer good," he said, "but not good enough!" He quickly got up to his feet and ran towards his opponent, arms ready for a grappling tackle. Hisagi blocked the tackle before it could knock him down and before he could flip over his opponent, Gin widened his smirk as he sent a powerful side kick towards Hisagi's gut, pushing him back on impact.

Hisagi panted as he held onto his stomach, struggling to breathe. However, he knew he did not have the time to recover because Gin was running towards him, ready to deliver another attack. Gin punched his opponent hard in the jaw, throwing him backward a couple feet.

Still on the phone to the police, Matsumoto's eyes widened in shock. Gin noticed her on the phone, and realizing that she was talking to the police about his whereabouts, he charged towards her with intent to silence her.

However, Hisagi had other plans. He got up from the ground and kicked Gin to the side with a flying tornado kick.

As Gin slowly got up, he growled at his opponent. "Yer startin' to _piss _me off!" He spat some blood to the side as he continued to glare daggers at his calm and confident opponent.

"Heh, _you're_ one to talk," Hisagi contradicted. "I won't forgive you for what you did to that woman." He jerked his head towards Matsumoto.

Gin smirked slightly. "Why're ya defendin' her? Ya don't even _know_ her!"

"True, but you see, that's where we're different. When a helpless woman is in trouble, it takes a _real_ man like me to protect her from spineless cowards like you."

The insult riled Gin to the point where he ran towards his opponent with a furious roar, taking out a Swiss army knife out of his pocket. "I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL YA FOR SAYIN' THAT!"

Before he could do anything, however, Hisagi grabbed his opponent's arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to loosen his hold on the knife. With a slight brush of his fingers, the knife dropped from Gin's fingertips.

The silver-haired man struggled against his opponent's hold, but he could not break free. Hisagi twisted his wrist further, causing his opponent to hiss in pain. "You'll pay...you'll fuckin' pay!" Gin seethed as Hisagi stared at him coldly.

He noticed that Matsumoto closed her phone and put it back in her jeans pocket, a victorious look in her eyes. Hisagi nodded in understanding and looked back down to his struggling opponent. "When the cops get here, they will make sure that you won't touch her again."

"Shut the fuck up!" Gin shrieked, continuing to struggle against his opponent's hold. "I'm _never_ going to lose to a fucking weakling like _you_! I'll get out of there, and I'll come after her! Then I'll come after you!"

Hisagi sighed. "Not going to happen. Even if you did, I'll kick your ass like I just did now." He twisted his opponent's wrist even more, causing him to scream in pain and fall down onto one knee.

The sound of sirens alerted the group, causing Gin to swear under his breath.

"There's your ride," Hisagi pointed out.

"Fucking bastard!" Gin spat.

The cruiser stopped in front of them and two policemen – one a bald-headed man and the other a man with long crimson hair, dark shades, and tribal tattoos – stepped out of their vehicle and walked towards the group. The bald man smirked when he saw Gin. "Heh, matches the description perfectly. He's our man."

"You're quite right, Ikkaku," the crimson-haired man with the shades and tattoos agreed.

"Let's get him, Renji," Ikkaku suggested and his partner nodded.

They walked towards the group and pulled Gin away from Hisagi's grip, which loosened as soon as they grabbed his opponent's arm. Renji forced Gin hard against a nearby tree and clicked his handcuffs firmly on the silver-haired man's wrists. Gin growled in disapproval. "I'll get out of there, mark my words!"

"Yea, yea, yea," Renji pulled the now convict in front of him. "You've got the right to remain silent, fucking asshole." Then he pulled Gin towards the cruiser.

Ikkaku turned to face Matsumoto and Hisagi. "Thanks for keeping him occupied for us. He won't bug you anymore, miss."

Matsumoto breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, officer."

Ikkaku nodded and he followed his friend into their cruiser to drive their latest convict towards the local prison.

Matsumoto smiled and breathed another sigh of relief as she watched the cruiser drive away, taking away the one man that was the cause of her agony. She was determined to start her life over and be happy once again.

Hisagi silently approached her from behind, thinking of the right words to say. "Um...want me to walk you home?"

Matsumoto turned around to face him. Hisagi blushed and looked to the side. "If you don't want to, that's alright."

The smile on Matsumoto's face remained on there. "I would love to." Hisagi smiled sheepishly and the two started to walk the remaining couple of blocks home.

They walked in silence on the way and Matsumoto kept stealing glances at the one who had saved her life twice. He seemed to be nervous around her, as though he was afraid to do anything to hurt her like Gin had done. However, she knew that he would not be the guy to do such a thing and she felt that she could trust him for the rest of her life. If only there was a way to convince Hisagi that everything will be all right... She needed a man in her life who could protect her and even though she barely knew that man beside her, she hoped that he could be that man.

Once they stopped in front of her house, Matsumoto turned to face Hisagi. "Well this is me," she said.

Hisagi nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess I should be going then."

"Wait!"

Hisagi turned to face her – an inquisitive look on his face.

"You...want to come inside?" Matsumoto asked. "I never really properly thanked you for saving my life, and I want to make up the way that I had acted a month and a half ago."

"You had every right to do that though," Hisagi replied. "You were scared and you needed your space. I don't want to be someone who could intrude on your life like that bastard had done."

"But you're not intruding at all," Matsumoto insisted. "Come in. I'll make you some coffee."

Being polite, Hisagi smirked and nodded as he followed Matsumoto into her house.

Once inside her house, Hisagi sat at Matsumoto's table as she prepared coffee for the both of them.

Silence fell between them until Matsumoto spoke up. "By the way, my name is Matsumoto Rangiku."

"Hisagi Shuheii," Hisagi replied.

"I know this might seem a bit weird to you, but I feel like I can trust you." She poured the contents of the very hot pot into two mugs and placed one mug in front of her guest. "How do you take your coffee?" She asked, interrupting herself for a moment.

"Black is fine," Hisagi replied as he took the mug to his lips to blow on the hot liquid. "You were saying, by the way?"

Matsumoto sat in a chair beside her guest. "Yes, when we first 'met' as you could say, I didn't think that trusting guys would be the right thing to do...for obvious reasons. That was until I got your phone message on my voice mail and started to think about things the past month and a half. I talked to a couple friends of mine as well and they both agreed that I should give you a chance. I know that we just met, but it feels that you had been there for me all along, like some kind of guardian angel. When you stood up for me earlier tonight, I realized that my feelings for you had gotten stronger. I realized that I needed someone who could protect me."

Hisagi smirked. "I know how you feel. I've never seen you before in my life but for some reason, the first time I saw you, I felt that you would the one worth saving. If you thought that I was some sort of angel, I would say that you were like a fallen angel who needed strength to go on in her life. I wanted to be that kind of guy who would be there for you and do whatever I can to make sure you knew that I was that type of guy for you. I guess my work in that area is complete." He laughed slightly at the joke. Matsumoto smiled.

"I want to know everything about you," she said. "I owe you my life and my heart. Only if you wish to accept it." She gazed in Hisagi's eyes as she took his hand in hers.

Hisagi got up from his chair, realizing that this would be easier standing up. Matsumoto followed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked deep into her beautiful amber eyes. With one hand, he brushed a golden lock of hair behind her ear to examine the full beauty of her face. His eyes softened at the sight. He knew that he would be lost in her eyes forever. When he inhaled her scent, he ended up wanting her more.

Slowly, they brought their lips closer together to share a moment of pure bliss and passion. Hisagi held the woman's body tighter to his and Matsumoto wrapped her arms around the man's neck. Even though the two wanted to share every ounce of each other's bodies at that moment, they knew that now would not be the time. For that moment, they just wanted to get to know each other – once as strangers but now as lovers.

* * *

There you have it, folks! My first HisaMatsu story. It was pretty hard to write though because it's based a different couple, but hey, it's all about expanding your horizons, eh? =) I hope it wasn't too disturbing though... After all, I don't like the idea of rape either. However, that idea was actually inspired by chapter 13 of Incomplete Sorrows. At least, I made up for it by showing Hisagi's strong feelings towards Matsumoto and how he wanted so much to protect her.

Let me know what you guys think!


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